The investigation of conceptions among citizens of perceived political corruption forms an important component of theoretical and empirical studies in democratic theory and political ethics. Studies have moved beyond a simple dichotomy of “ideal types”: cynical voters and virtuous citizens sanctioning political misconduct. This article surveys Anglo-Saxon scholarship on ordinary judgements towards political corruption. It discusses their epistomological foundations and methods, but also develops the existing studies’ results to propose a set of new hypotheses. Several points are stressed: divergent perceptions and classifications of political corruption; willingness to sanction, social and economic factors that influence judgement; forms of normative consensus about political behaviours.